Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 518 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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Like Dublin Mike they did not go in a direct line but adopted acircular course, one to the xight, and the other to the left. : ublin Mike had beckoned to the landlord, . ferent syuand he joined the disguised ruffians by the bar _ | -where they stood conversing. : Both of the pards had noticed the stranger, > ‘casting only a casual glance at him though, but there was something about Dublin Mike, despite his wonderful disguise which set Sioux Sam to ‘thinking. “T say, Colorado, do you notice that fellow -yonder talking with Doyle?” he said. ‘Yes, what of him?” ‘‘Tt seems to me as if I had seen that fellow ‘before, somewhere.” Cool Colorado took a good look at the man. ‘His appearance seems rather familiar to “me, but then there are so many toughs of his stamp that aman runs acrossina year it is pretty hard to remember any one particular aman,” “That is so, and I don’t believe that my re- ‘membrance of foes is as esse as yours either, so if you can’t place the fellow is it any wonder that I can’t?” . Dublin Mike only held the landlord in conver- ‘sation for a moment, and then sauntered up to -the counter to get a drink. As the conspirators bad cre mai another “man immediately button-holed Tommy Doyle, «so he was prevented from returning to his ‘former position. By this time both of the road-agents were within a few yards of the two pards. The moment had come for Old Nick to play his part in the drama. | : He advanced to the bar and got a drink, then, Hy | ‘turning away, assuming the air of a man who ; had drank more fire-water than he could con- -veniently carry, he approached the scout and pretended to discover them, all of a sudden. ‘“Darn my old boots if thar ain’s two dandy ecow-punchers!” he exclaimed in a loud tone, as he halted within a couple of yards of the pards hand upon his thighs half ‘and, placing his though anxious to get a good ‘squatted down, as - ‘look at them. ’ The loud tone, as well as the nature of the ex- py clamation, immediately attracted the attention of every one in the saloon. The gossips stopped short in their talk, the ‘men at the bar paused with their glasses half- way between the counter and their mouths, and all gazed at the speaker. © m the peculiar intonation which the dis- sznised outlaw chief threw into his speech, there was hardly a man in the room but immediately jum to the conclusion there was likely to be ‘trouble. : As had been said, there wasn’t much love lost ch fh ‘between the miners aud the cowboys. ot ol - The gay and festive cattle-punchers were ae wont, once in a while, when on a tear,” to ride into the mining-camps, and proceed to make b it extremely lively for the occupants thereof. PA So there was really a feeling against the cat- t +le-men, and the prospect of trouble between a miner and the cowboys excited general atten- tion, CHAPTER XIV. A LIVELY TIME, Op Nicx’s disguise was so perfect that meither one of the young men suspected that he ‘was aught but what he appeared to be—a mid- dle-aged miner, a hard customer, considerably ander the influence of liquor. Now both Cool Colorado and Sioux Sam were not men inclined to rush a quarrel, particular! with a man of this kind, but his tone was so OF <a ensive that the remark could not be allowed to pass unnoticed. ay, ‘See here, my friend, you had better not open 7G ses mouth so wide, or you may catch cold,” Cool Colorado observed, os “Oh, hear the rooster crow!” exclaimed the outlaw, in a tond of great contempt, straighten- ing himself up as he spoke. “If you don’t go over and mind your own ~— Cool Colorado in New claimed : dignity, playing the character he was assuming to perfection. else you will get into trouble!” claimed the disgu when a man can’t git o being accused of trying to raise a row, his orbs the = - << ez * <= ‘ arias , i . hel, . i * am z business, maybe you will feel the spur of the rooster in a way you won’t like,” the young scout retorted. ou don’t own this hyar shanty,” ex- ** Say, ld Nick, with a comic assumption of ‘No, nor do I pretend to, but I own myself, and I have too much respect for a gentleman about my size tostand any nonsense,” Cool Cool- rado replied, tartly. ‘‘Now you had better vamose the ranch, or ‘Go outside and shoot your mouth off to the moon, for if you give me any more talk I will warm your ears for you!” ‘You will!” cried the disguised outlaw. ‘‘-Yes, I will, and right speedily, too!” Roth of the scouts had their eyes on the man, and if he had attempted to pull a weapon their ‘‘ runs” would have been out instanter. he fellow, though, did not seem to have any idea of such a movement, for he did not make a motion toward the revolver which was plainly visible, buckled to his waist. By this time Tommy Doyle thought that it was in order for him to interfere. He knew the scouts of old, and fully under- stood that two such men as Cool Colorado and Sioux Sam were fully a match for a round dozen of average miners. “Come, come, gents, we don’t want any trouble here!” thelandlord exclaimed. ‘‘T don’t know who you are, stranger, nor where you come from,” he continued, addressing Nick Spader, ‘* but got in the wrong shop when a disturbance in the I can tell you that you have ou try to kick up etropolitan Saloon. ‘We don’t allow any rows in here. If you are dying for a fight go outside and there you can fight as long as Ha hke!” ‘Who's a-trying for to kick up a Tow !” ex- ised outlaw. ‘“°Tain’t me! I’m jest as peaceable a man as walks on two legs! ‘‘ All I did was to sling a leetle joke at these dandy cow-punchers, an I don’t see as they had any call for to get up on their ear anyway! *bout my talk, itting mighty queer a leetle joke without ‘*]T reckon times are ‘¢ T didn’t come in hyer to kick up no fuss, no, sir-ee, that ain’t the kind of man I am. ‘‘T am jest as quiet as they make ’em.” And then, pausing for a moment as if to take breath, but in reality to cast a sly glance out of the corners of his eyes, so as to be sure his gang oe my in position, ready for the inued: fray, he con- ‘¢Come on, all of you, I meant no harm—come on and we'll take a drink!” Old Nick, Dublin Mike and the two road- agents were quick to pull their revolvers, but no quicker than Cool Colorado and Sioux Sam. Like the skillful swordsman they had been watching the eyes of the supposéd miner, and in saw danger written—the attack foretold—before the signal was given. . Thanks to the precaution taken by Old Nick to warn his men to have their revolvers ready- cocked, the assailant would have had an advan- tage if the two scouts had not been#provid with double-acting revolvers — self-cockers, 4 single pull both raising and lowering the ham- mer. And so four shots echoed through the saloon so close together that they seemed like one long he here was a rush of the people in the place for the doors and windows. | The crowd was panic-stricken; they didn’t care how they got out, so they escaped from what seemed likely to be a slaughter-pen. . In the wild rush the lights were overturned and extinguished, plunging the room in utter darkness. Pell-mell into the open air rushed the throng, the greater part of them wild with fright. In the hurry and confusion no man knew how the fight had gone. Whether the strangers, who had so unexpect- edly pulled their ‘‘ guns” on the two scouts, had succeeded in their murderous designs, or whether the young men had laid out the attackers. There was a bright moon, so that the street were distinctly visible. Four horses were tethered without, three men rushed through the crowd with aug pistols in their hands and sprung upon the backs of three of the steeds. The three were Nick Spader, Dublin Mike and one of the road-agents, Spader was evidently hurt, for he staggered all objects in | rk York. as he ran, and it was as much as he could do to get upon his horse. Despite this fact, though, the three mounted in wonderfully quick time, and away went the steeds at the top of their speed. The tethering-pins, to which were attached the lariats that held the horses, had not been | driven firmly in the ground, so that the moment the riders urged the beasts onward the fasten- . ings did not hold them. ublin Mike was particular to grasp the fourth horse by the bridle, so as not to leave the brute behind. | This was done to prevent the pursuers—who, of course, would give immediate chase—from using the horse. “You are hurt, Nick!” Dublin Mike cried, the moment the start was made, noticing that his | companion was reeling in the saddle. | “Yes: the son of a gun gave it to me in the | side!” replied Old Nick, between his firm-set teeth. “T reckon it ain’t so very bad, though it does seem to take all the strength out of me. ‘An inch or two further up would have been apt to have settled my hash for all time to come,’ | “Can you hold on all right?’ Dublin Mike asked, anxiously. | * Oh, yes; I am worth a dozen dead men!” the | outlaw chief cried, defiantly. . ‘“ Jimmy is done for, I reckon,” Dublin Mike observed. “Ves, I saw him go down, plugged as clean as a whistle.” ‘‘ Both of the cowboys dropped. : “A trick to escape our bullets, I reckon. I don’t think either one of them was hurt, curse ’em!” cried Old Nick, angrily. These few words canet between the pair with the utmost rapidity, and at this point the con- versation was interrupted by the opening of fire upon them, As Nick Spader had guessed, neither one of the young men had suffered materially in the fight, although both were slightly wounded. A bullet had grazed Cool Colorado’s cheek, and Sioux Sam had a slight flesh-wound in the shoulder. The unfortunate road-agent, though, bad been shot through the heart and instantly killed by a snap-shot fired by Sioux Sam’s experienced hand, and, as Old Nick had remarked, Cool ° Colorado’s bullet had come within an inch of pi a his thread of life in twain. The scouts had dropped to the floor just as they fired. hey understood, the moment the attack be- gan, that it was a pre-arranged affair, and that they were beset by enemies. here might be a dozen confederates in the saloon for all they knew, for the attack was sprung upon them so quickly that they had no time to count the number of their assailants, And so it Ko ice that they were the last to leave the saloon; but the moment the gained the open air and saw the baffled road- agents riding off at their best speed, they imme- diately gave chase. Both of the young men were remarkably fleet runners, and as it took a few moments for the horses to get into their stride the scouts were able to get within range. For just about ha!f a minute they got the chance to empty tkeir revolvers at the fugitives and then the horses carried them out of range. t A half-a-dozen shots they fired and the bullets ‘ did considerable execution. Dublin Mike got a leaden missile in the fleshy Be part of his left arm, which made him swear in hk the most frightful manner; the lower part of Nick Spader’s right ear was shot away, thus marking him for life, and the borse of the road- agent—Arkansaw Bill as the man was called— was mortally wounded. , | Down went the beast on his knees, pitching his rider over his head in the most uncere- monious manner, ‘“ Arkansaw is done for!” Dublin Mike ex- a2 claimed as he urged on bis steed to its best 43 44 speed. me “Yes, I reckon that tumble has broken his neck, but we’re out of range now, and mighty lucky we are to get off as well as we have.” This ga? has been the biggest kind of 6 failure, 1 reckon,” Dublin Mike remarked re flectively. ‘‘ We can’t know every time!” The riders disappeared in the gloom, and al- though some of the miners, now grown strange ly valorous since the assailants were in full re- | treat, ran after them for fully half a mile, dis charging their weapons and whooping like lunatics, they did not succeed in doing them _ oo sail ll mest - ee 44/20 a we eee € 4 ine os - ‘ ~| > * ——————————— eee eee